


Songs of the Cicada

by theantumbrae



Series: Izuku's Insectarium [2]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Ficlet Collection, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26007979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theantumbrae/pseuds/theantumbrae
Summary: A companion fic for 'Flight of the Dragonfly!'Small drabbles, past scenes, sidestories, what-ifs and the like that add a little more to the story at large will be posted here.
Series: Izuku's Insectarium [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887685
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	1. Mirai Shares His Suspicions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, and here we are with a companion fic to 'Flight of the Dragonfly'!
> 
> I'd like to let you all know though, that this wasn't exactly something I was planning on doing outright. It took a little bit of consideration and thought, and a little output from you readers. In fact, for this chapter alone I credit the idea to one of my readers — Squared — who brought the concept up on chapter 61 right here on AO3! I thank you again for the idea!

_Sometime before Chapter 67…_

Mirai steadied his gaze and examined the gathered individuals within Briefing Room 03, located within headquarters of the Hero Public Safety Commission. As per his request, a meeting — filed as classified and of the utmost urgency — had been set up with representatives from UA, the Police Force, and the Commission itself.

The first to meet his gaze was the beige-haired Yokumiru Mera, representative of the HPSC. He claimed that his sleep deprivation was an outcome of being overworked, the Commission being as understaffed as it was. Of course, Mirai knew better.

A heavy onset of work was only partially responsible for the man's tiredness. The other reason for it revolved around the more illicit activities of the HPSC. That is, the countless number of undercover ops and experimental projects that took place within the underbelly of the organization. Not that Mirai would say anything of the sort.

The second individual that caught his attention was that goddamned rodent. Nezu, self proclaimed smartest being in the room and the current principal of the most prestigious heroics school in the country, was sitting in his seat drinking from a cup of matcha green tea.

It was true that Mirai respected Nezu for his achievements, but that wasn't enough to keep Mirai's suspicions at bay. Nezu would always be a manipulative and scheming creature, and the aura of pure smugness that he was projecting wasn't helping his case.

The police duo came into Mirai's view next; both individuals had been chosen for both their jurisdiction and experience at the problem at hand.

Naomasa Tsukauchi was an added bonus to that. He had worked with the man before, and his quirk allowing him to detect lies came in handy more than once in the field. With him present, all of Mirai's words would come out as true — a simple boon to ensure that his words and competency weren't put into question.

The second of the two, Monika Kaniyashiki, mattered less. She was an effective cop, sure, but average at best. It was her willingness to break the rules and use her quirk on the job that made her as known as she was. Otherwise, her presence was mostly supplement to Tsukauchi's.

Mirari looked at the clock. Two minutes until Mera would complete the initial bout paperwork and the meeting began in earnest. And so Mirai sat in wait.

Mirai shifted in his wheelchair. His newly acquired prosthetic arm clattered against the metal of the chair, reminding him yet again of the limb that he had lost. For a moment he reminisced over the loss, but almost immediately it was gone.

Mirai was in all honestly okay with it; okay with the fact that he was missing a part of himself, and that he was very likely to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

After all, it had been less than a week ago that he had collected his new arm from that eccentric pink-haired inventor from U.A. He was grateful for having full motor control of both of his arms again. Nevermind the many added capabilities of the arm — the mere fact that he now beared the same craftsmanship that All Might saw privy to wear made the effort worth it.

And to top it all off, he still had his quirk. He hadn't lost it in that fight with Chisaki, and thus he could still contribute to the benefit of society, uncovering hidden foes and keeping the public safe.

Finally, Mera yawned, putting his pen down and straightening out the pile of papers in front of him. "Nighteye," he yawned again, "to what do we owe the pleasure of today's meeting?"

"Thank you all for coming today," Mirai said. He moved his wheelchair forward and rested his arms on the flat of the table. "I've requested this meeting to share with you all a theory of mine."

"A theory?" Mera exasperated. "You called me out for," another yawn, "for something you aren't even sure of?"

"Let me rephrase that," Mirai said. "I meant to say that I have circumstantial proof that—"

"Circumstantial?" Mera interrupted. "That doesn't sound much too different than what you were previously saying. I don't like my time being wasted Nighteye; I barely have enough as it is."

"I think that we should at the very least hear him out," Nezu said after taking a sip of his tea. "Even if a theory it may be, whatever has Sasaki here worried must be of some importance to call all of us here, no?"

"Thank you Nezu," Mirai said through clenched teeth. He turned his gaze towards Mera. "If I may?"

Mera sighed, but eventually gave the nod to continue.

Mirai nodded back. With the flick of his wrist he brought out a remote and pressed a button, activating the large monitor behind him. "As I was saying before, today I'm going to share with you all why I personally believe that Izuku Midoriya, student of U.A. high school, is a villain."

"What?!" exclaimed one of the officers — Kaniyashiki — Mirai mentally corrected.

"Midoriya a villain?!" She continued. "No way!"

Nezu leaned forward in his seat with an amused smirk. Despite Mirai's bold proclamation, the mouse continued to carry an air of carelessness, if not unbridled glee. "You mean to say that you're accusing one of my students as being a villain?"

"Or vigilante," Mirai added, mostly as an afterthought. "But most of my hypotheses and evidence point more towards the former."

"Hmph." Nezu sank back in his seat. Once he was settled, he poured himself another cup of tea. "Then let's hear it then, Sasaki. Tell me your thoughts regarding Midoriya."

* * *

"And those," Mirai said, "are the ninety-three reasons why I suspect Izuku Midoriya to be a villain."

"Or a vigilante!" Kaniyashiki exclaimed, shooting out of her seat.

Mirai narrowed his eyes. Kaniyashiki lowered back down.

"Or a vigilante," he reluctantly added.

With the presentation over, Mirai finally set both of his arms down. Though, in all truth he was lowering only one arm. In said arm he held his other arm; the metal prosthetic had been detached from its usual resting place and had been used as a pointer for the past hour and a half.

With a simple movement and a hiss of air the arm was back in its socket, almost as if Mirai hadn't been gesturing with a dismembered limb for the entire presentation.

With that, Mirai crossed his arms and looked out to his audience. "Well?"

The four gathered individuals looked at one another, their eyes meeting, almost as if speaking in some secret language. Mirai watched on in morbid curiosity, wondering just what was going through their minds.

After all, how would he have felt if he hadn't seen the evidence himself? How surprising would it be to learn that a mere child had committed such acts of violence?

How would he feel to learn that one of his own students had been a wolf in sheep's clothing, hiding amongst the rest of his students for the better part of a year, always in a prime position to strike out?

How many children had been in constant danger due to many people's negligence?

Mera, because of course it would be, finally cleared his throat. "Nighteye, what you told us is rather… disturbing. Dangerous, even.

"I'm glad that you think so," Mirai said, a slight smile coming to his face.

"Yes," Mera continued after a yawn. "As is, if you wouldn't mind, could you step outside for a bit? We'd like to talk about this newfound revelation, and the next steps that we will take to combat it."

"Outside?" Mirai uttered. "Even though I was the one to have brought this to your attention?"

"You said it yourself, this information is rather sensitive, ain't it?" Nezu said.

Mirai hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I suppose that I understand. When will we reconvene?"

"Eh… give or take ten minutes," Nezu said. "That should be long enough to cover all our bases."

"Of course," Mirai said, making his way towards the door. "Until then."

* * *

"So…" Tsukauchi muttered as the door to the room closed.

"First things first," Mera yawned. "Was Nighteye telling the truth? He wasn't making any of this up?"

"Well," Tsukauchi bobbed his head from side to side, "he is telling the truth. Or at least what he perceives the truth to be."

"So he's really figured it out," Mera said.

"Figured it out? He said that Midoriya was a villain!" Kaniyashiki countered. "That's, like, literally the opposite of what he is!"

"But he doesn't know that," Mera interjected, a yawn following suit. "He isn't privy on Midoriya's profile like we are. He doesn't know of the agreement Midoriya's made with us."

"Nevermind that," Nezu interrupted. "There are some other things in the briefing that piqued my interest that I'd like to go over now."

Mera turned an eye towards the resident rodent. "Nezu. I don't want to get sidetracked here."

Nezu ignored the man and turned to Tsukauchi. "What did your quirk say in that part about that part about the maggots?"

"Umm…" Tsukauchi rubbed the back of his head. "Apparently, Nighteye did see glimpses of Midoriya placing maggots in someone's eyes. Or thought that he saw that, at the very least."

"Did he now?" Nezu said, his paw rubbing the underside of his chin.

"Yeah, but Midoriya hasn't done anything like that!" Kaniyashiki said.

"True, but not quite," Mera said, relinquishing the fact that they were straying off topic. "There was that Sludge Villain awhile back. Midoriya's responsible for the man not having eyes. Hornet stings, apparently."

"Eh," Nezu waved Mera off. "That villain was responsible for countless injuries and at least two previous deaths in the five years he was active. And what Midoriya did was an act of self defense."

"Semantics," Mera said. "Fine then. Back…" a yawn. "Back to the other topic at hand. Nighteye's come across secretive info on Izuku Midoriya."

"I do give him points for those parts he did get right," Kaniyashiki said. "Like that part about the cloak and Eraser. Priceless!"

"Right," Mera said. "Point is, he came across the info. So the question is, should we tell him?"

"I personally wouldn't," Nezu said after taking a sip of his tea.

"And why's that?" Mera asked.

"Midoriya wouldn't want us to, is all."

"And you know this how?"

Nezu smirked. "The two of them had a confrontation on UA grounds not too long ago about this very same thing. Midoriya refrained from telling Sasaki anything. He went out of his way to do so, even."

Mera blinked. "That isn't even a reason—"

"Of course it is!" Nezu cheered. "Besides, he's my student. His well being is _my_ priority and under _my_ jurisdiction, is it not? The Commission controls his use and participation in your heroic schemes. As such, I can dictate who's to know about his situation as long they aren't directly part of the Commission. Correct?"

Mera sighed. "Correct. I'm assuming that you want to place a restriction on who Nighteye can talk to this about?"

"Yes, of course. But anyways, Nezu continued, "I want the notes Sasaki had compiled for this nifty little presentation here.

"Nezu," Mera yawned, "can we go over this part of the situation lat—"

"But I want the notes," Nezu interjected. "Professional curiosity and all. Midoriya is one of my students, is he not? It regards his well being."

Mera rubbed a hand over his face. "Fine. Take them, I don't care. But since we are talking about the notes, I will say that they do worry me."

"Midoriya's a sweetheart!" Kaniyashiki said. "He wouldn't do those things on purpose. Tsukauchi already verified that. It's obvious that Nighteye is seeing what he wants to see."

"But Nighteye still saw something that has come into question," Mera said. "The implications that this kid has a way to block, or at least interfere with Nighteye's quirk… I want to send somebody to check on Midoriya. Do a quick evaluation."

Mera sent a glare towards Nezu. "I hope that you're fine with that?"

Nezu smiled. "I don't see why not."

"Good," Mera said. "Let's call him back in so we can finish up sooner. My break's coming up."

"We can talk more after the fact," Mera said before anybody could interject.

* * *

Mirai wandered around the general vicinity of Briefing Room 03, waiting to be called back in. There was a messenger in his wheelchair that was supposed to notify him when he was to come back, so he didn't feel the need to sit still in one place.

As it turned out, that seemed to be the right decision. After all, having a chance to speak with Edgeshot of all people would do wonders to spreading the word. Out of anyone, he probably best deserved to know about Midoriya next.

"Edgeshot," Mirari greeted as he approached the man. "It has been a while. What are you doing here?"

Edgeshot looked over. "Ah, Nighteye. A pleasure. I'm just here to drop off the final paperwork for the internship next week. You know how it is."

"I do indeed." Nighteye paused. "Internships you say. One of your interns is Izuku Midoriya, correct?"

"He is indeed," Edgeshot said with narrowed eyes. "You know this, of course, considering the raid on the Precepts. Why do you ask?"

"Hmm… Are you aware that Izuku Midoriya is a vi— a vigilante?" Mirai corrected himself. It was probably best not to outright say Midoriya was a villain out in the open.

Edgeshot narrowed his eyes even further. "A vigilante you say?" He crossed his arms. "I must say, I had no idea. And what exactly are you doing with this information, might I ask?"

"It's why I'm here today, actually," Mirai replied. "I've called upon a meeting with the Commission, Nezu, and the police. The information's technically classified, but I thought that you deserved to know. Being his sponsor and all."

"I see… I must… process this." Edgeshot bowed. "Thank you for telling me. And, erm, good luck with that meeting, I suppose."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little less comedic than what I had originally planned, but oh well.
> 
> And I might as well bring it up — it's true that this isn't that other fic that I've been hinting at for a while; sorry if that disappoints some of you. Though, I do promise that the fic will come out! It's only a matter of time until then (I just want to have a backlog ready for it, you know?)
> 
> Also; more to come eventually! Though I don't have a planned schedule for it of course. They'll come… eventually ;)
> 
> P.S. Requests and suggestions of scenes are welcome! I won't guarantee that I'll write 'em, but comment one and you just might be in for a surprise!


	2. A Sports Festival Wonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here goes the next installment of Songs of the Cicada! This one's more of a callback to way earlier in the story; I thank dannythebookwyrm for the idea. Hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> P.S. Another chapter might be coming fairly soon after this one (no promises!)
> 
> P.P.S. This was supposed to come out on Wednesday... but then I forgot about it. Whoops? Well, in any case, here ya go.

_Sometime Around Chapters 19 and 20..._

_~~~_

_[Isoshi Renjiro]_

"Isoshi!" a woman's scolding voice rang out from the kitchen. "You should at least wait until I'm done with the Edamame!"

"Then you should hurry it up then, Yuri!" Isoshi Renjiro, principal of Aldera Middle School, exclaimed to his wife. "Can't you see that I'm excited here? Bakugou's been rising up through the ranks through this entire thing!"

Isoshi shoved a mouthful of Yakisoba down his throat, chewing up the stray noodles and vegetables all the way down. His two invisible arms held onto sticks of Yakitori, him switching over to chewing the chicken entirely off the sticks before discarding them.

"I mean, did you see him facing off against that bird kid?" Isoshi asked. "It's just like I had envisioned! My efforts have paid off! Aldera has its very own star pupil, and everyone will come to know it! Just imagine when he becomes a pro!"

"That's nice hun," Yuri said as she came out of the kitchen, boiled and salted soybeans in hand. She made her way over to the couch and sat beside her husband, setting the Edamame down on the table before her.

Isoshi placed a hand around his wife. "Thanks, Yuri." He immediately shuffled some of the soybeans into his mouth, much to the displeasure of his wife.

Yuri looked over at the television, watching the ongoing fight that was happening on screen. It was between the child of Endeavor's and Ingenium's brother. Once said battle was done, her eyes shifted over to the screen's bottom corner. She read over the names of the participants of the next battle. Between the two names listed, one in particular caught her attention.

"And Midoriya Izuku?" she asked her husband. "Wasn't he one of yours? I remember you talking about him once or twice."

"Him?" Isoshi scoffed. He took a hefty swig of his beer. "Please, that boy couldn't muster enough strength to hurt a fly, let alone do anything noteworthy."

"Did you not see his two other fights? He must've done something if he's gotten all the way to the semi-finals."

Isoshi waved her off. He shoveled some more noodles into his mouth, talking as he continued to chew. "Was taking a piss during the first one. I ignored the second one, didn't think that there'd be much of anything to see. Why?" He swallowed. "He fighting again?"

"Mhm," Yuri hummed. "Against Endeavor's kid."

Isoshi perked up at that, his eyes becoming glued to the screen. "You serious? Now, this I've got to see! I can picture the carnage already! You'll see how the kid's two previous fights were merely flukes!"

"I don't know…" Yuri trailed off. "His quirk seems fairly applicable in… some ways."

"Quirk? Quirk?!" Isoshi bellowed out a laugh. "Woman, that kid has no quirk! He was born quirkless. Said so right on his file!"

Yuri quirked an eyebrow. "If you say so. Though, if you saw his previous fights, Present Mic quite clearly—"

"Just watch, woman!" Isoshi interrupted. "Honestly, I'm not sure what UA was thinking about accepting him in. But hey you'll see! They'll all see just what a waste of time of effort Izuku Midoriya is."

_One eye-popping and excessively excessive fight later…_

And see Isoshi Renjiro did. But he didn't see Shoto Todoroki utterly slaughtering the green haired kid. He didn't see ice and fire entrap Midoriya entirely. He didn't see the curbstomp that he was expecting.

No. Instead, he saw the millions of bugs swarming up towards the Todoroki boy. Saw as they split off into hideously disgusting clones that mimicked his previous student's mannerisms and shape. He saw the bugs push Endeavor's kid straight into a corner, pushing him to use his flames unlike anybody else during the entire festival.

Isoshi did a total spit take, the cold beer in his mouth spewing forth all over the floor and his clothes. "What… the… fuck!"

"Ow!" Isoshi recoiled from the slap that collided with his head.

"Watch your manners, Isoshi. Such foul language should be avoided, remember."

"Right… right…" Isoshi reached out for his food, but paused just at the last second. He looked around, eyeing the corners and shadowed spots of his house with a calculating gaze.

"Maybe…"

"Yes hun?"

"Maybe we should start keeping the windows closed at night. I can afford the air conditioning bill at this point."

"If you say so, Isoshi."

* * *

_[Those two guys from Aldera that used to follow Bakugou around... You know… the one with the stretchy fingers and… that other guy. Eh. *Shrugs Shoulders*]_

"Hey," Takeji said. He grabbed onto Kingo's arm, pulling the other boy to a stop. The beetle tied around to the string Kingo was holding jerked at the sudden movement, nearly crashing out of the air.

With his free hand Takeji pointed up at the screen within the store they were passing by. "Take a look at that. Bakugo's pretty far up in the rankings, ain't he?"

"Why do you care?" Kingo scoffed, tugging on his beetle. "He's out of our lives, won't even contact us anymore. Besides, him getting far in the Sports Festival isn;t much a surprise. He was _the_ big dog, after all. It's why we followed him around like headless chickens."

"Okay, that's besides the point," Takeji said. He took a drag of his lit cigarette. He then used his quirk, stretching his fingers out, to point towards the screen. "Look. Midoriya's somehow gotten himself into the semi-finals."

"The nerd?!" Kingo exclaimed in utter surprise. "You mean he got into UA?"

"Probably through gen ed, obviously," Takeji offered in response. "They'd take anyone in. All UA cares about is its hero course, after all."

"You're probably right," Kingo said. "But that doesn't explain how the quirkless piece of trash got so far."

Takeji took another drag, blowing out a puff of smoke. He eyed a nearby spider on the window; he lowered his hand down and snuffed out his cigarette on the spider, effectively burning it to a crisp. "Guess we'll see."

_One superpowered explosive fight of fire and ice later…_

"Shit." Kingo muttered through his breath. "The nerd had a quirk all this time?"

Takeji blinked, looking at the spider that he had just mauled to death. "Do you… Do you think that we should apologize?"

"You're crazy if you think I'm heading anywhere near that psycho ever again!" Kingo exclaimed."

"Then," Takeji continued, "we should at least be more careful around bugs, right?"

"Bu—" Kingo's eyes widened, darting to the bug still attached to a string. He immediately let go of the string, the beetle flying off in the breeze.

"No! You idiot!" Takeji slapped Kingo's arm.

"What?"

"You should have taken the string off first! What happens if the freak finds out?"

Kingo's eyes slowly dawned in horror." Shit!" He ran off towards the bug. "Quick! Help me get it! Use your quirk or something!"

* * *

_[Kage Kawabata]_

Kage watched the myriad connections as they danced around the stadium. Millions and millions of trails of lights were all zooming to and fro. Left and right, weaving in between the stands and the many vents throughout the structure.

Walls of ice sprung forth down below, Endeavor's boy doing all he could to fend off the bugs. Midoriya's self-shaped swarms danced between the globs of ice effortlessly, drawing Todoroki's attention without the ice user even realizing it.

And then he watched Midoriya move forth with his real body, jumping over the icy retreat and willing his bugs to make way.

Kage watched his student striking at Todoroki head on with moves and maneuvers that had been trained into the boy after long hours into the evening. Sweat-filled and arduous hours spent on end in the dojo learning every single thing he could, Midoriya was the student that any teacher wished for.

" _He sure has grown a lot in both martial arts and with his quirk. Of course, it isn't a surprise. That pure fiery determination in his eyes, his willingness to save others — going so far as to adopt a vigilante persona — and the true grit in his soul. It wasn't a surprise that he was excelling as far as he was now_."

Down below the bugs converged, scattered, moved, just like before. And just like before, like every time in the past, there was that slight hint. That small, miniscule detail that hid, just far enough to remain unnoticed if one remained unobservant.

" _But then again..."_

_[Excitement] [Anguish] [Pain] [Determination]_

Four integral emotions. They all made sense in a twisted way, but then again what else would he expect from somebody so troublesome as Izuku Midoriya?

But then:

_[Irritation] [Bloodlust] [Concern] [Guilt]_

They didn't fit, not really. But what else did he expect; that separate set of emotions had been bleeding over since day one. They were always there, like some phantom lying in wait in his peripheral — always there, but never enough to truly say that it was.

Whatever that second entity was, whatever was coexisting in Midoriya's mind... It wasn't his place to interfere. He'd felt it during the long hours of the day. _[Happy] [Sad] [Anger] [Revenge] [Guilt] [Retribution] [Compassion] [Righteous Fury] [Sympathy] [Benevolence] [Mercy] [Tenderness] [Sorrow] [Humanity]_

Whatever it was, it cared for Midoriya's well-being. It wasn't malevolent. And so, it something Midoriya had to figure out for himself

Down below, Endeavor's son roared up in flames, ice and fire clashing and bonding all on its own. Midoriya, because of course he would be, was smiling. Smiling like he'd just won the jackpot, liked he had just won over the world.

" _The future truly is in good hands, and I can't be more proud to say that I helped build such a fine young man up. A future with Midoriya as a hero is looking bright..."_

The bugs continued buzzing, zooming past, riling up the spectators as was expected. But still.

" _Even if as an individual, he may remain a bit unsettling to some."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! As I said, I'm hoping to get another one up soonish, but my time's running a bit haggard. I guess you'll all just have to see! Until next time!


	3. Turbulent Teatime Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, looks like it happened again: I forgot to post this when I originally intended to! It was supposed to be a Wednesday addition to Cicada, but… oh well. Saturday chapter it is!

_Sometime before chapter 75…_

_[Nezu]_

The school bell rang, and the first thing that came to Nezu's mind was the time: 12:30 in the afternoon.

To most of the school, the subsequent bell chime and the inevitable dismissal by their teachers signified the start of their lunch period — the time to eat, fool around, and maybe catch up on that last minute assignment due next period.

To the teachers, it meant a short reprieve from the horrors of their children, the time to grade some papers, or even a moment to catch up on school gossip.

That wasn't to mean that Nezu was exempt from such habits, of course. Like any other person in the world, he was subject to the lesser amenities of life. Lunch time was also his time to eat, to unwind, and explore the more… delicate matters of the day.

But that didn't mean that he didn't have his own peculiarities. Even since he had clawed his way out into the freedom of the outside world from the clutches of his previous captors, there was one thing he always found time to dedicate to, no matter the circumstances nor strife: Teatime.

And it was during this ritual of his, in between the boiling of fresh water and the steeping of the leaves, that Nezu noticed something odd.

He was at his desk when it happened. As he always did during teatime, a few subtle gestures and secret maneuvers upon his desk transformed the furnishing into the sprawling station of monitors it was meant to be.

He was scanning the various camera feeds he had set up around the school grounds, going along with his usual process of ensuring that everything was in place while also catching up on the daily-goings of the inhabitants of his school.

And everything seemed to be in order.

Except…

Nezu narrowed his eyes, his attention zooming on one particular monitor. Everything seemed normal., that is until...

There.

Sector H, the northeastern corner of his campus. Within one of currently unused buildings, usually reserved for the more niche electives meant for the upper years or the occasional club meeting. But considering the fact that a few electives hadn't reached the minimum enrollment count this semester around, and the existence of the dorms have proved the need for the building moot, it was empty.

Or so it should have been.

The two cameras within one of the building;s rooms seemed to be working perfectly fine — that is, until the one camera positioned in the upper left corner of the room fizzled out in a mess of gray and white until ultimately blacking out.

As for the last camera, that was where the lynchpin of the entire scenario came into play. A myriad black dots zooming into frame, skittering, morphing, and changing until it formed a feminine form, its faceless face staring right into the camera.

" _ **Hello Principal,"**_ the amalgamation of bugs — no doubt made from Midoriya's mysterious ally — said in an oddly succinct voice. " _ **There's some private stuff that'll be going on in here later, tomorrow to be precise. I… may fill you in later if I've made my mind up. Just don't go seeking us out; or better yet, let myself come to you, okay?"**_

And then the feed abruptly died, no doubt the work of some nasty bugs chewing through the internal wiring within the walls.

Nezu smirked at the implications.

"My, my. Some rather daring developments here on this fine day." He leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his tea while doing so. "I do await your arrival, Miss Mystery Girl."

* * *

Nezu's ears perked upon the electronic ding of his computer, this time signifyingan incoming email He wasn't exactly surprised by the intrusion of his thinking time; he more or less expected such after multiple days as his role as principal. And besides, whatever was in that email could wait.

Another thing had caught his attention — the slight buzzing noise emanating from the vent in his office's ceiling, carrying along the echoing noise of slight bumps against metal and the ever so soft fluttering of wings.

It wasn't long until a stream of bugs of all shapes and forms erupted from the vent, filling up the corner of his office and painting it a blend of blacks, reds, blues, greens, and all other colors of the spectrum.

When the last of the invading bugs had made their way out and through the ventilation, they transformed into the same feminine, human form he'd seen through the cameras the previous day.

"You know," Nezu began, "this is usually the time that I'd be offering some tea." He raised his own teacup to emphasize his point, and then lowered it down to take a sip. "But I don't believe that the consumption of my preferred beverage would be possible for you, correct?"

The swarm didn't respond.

Nezu smiled in response, reaching into one of the drawers of his desk to pull out some food. "How about some food instead? Biscuits, perhaps? Crumpets?"

The swarm finally shook its head. " **No. I don't need to eat, Nezu. Can't even taste things — not myself anyways. All I'd be doing is nourishing the bugs."**

"Hmm," Nezu stroked his chin. "I thought so. Can't say that I'm too surprised. You are occupying Midoriya's mindscape, however that actually works."

Nezu tilted his head. "Actually, can you taste what Midoriya eats?"

" **I'm not here to discuss the intricacies of tasting food."**

"No, no," Nezu chuckled. "Of course not. You're here because of that thing with the cameras. Spread Izuku's secrets around to his friends without his consent now, did you?"

The swarm began to edge itself forward, a tinge of buzzing riling itself up from within.

Nezu held a finger up. "I didn't listen in, don't worry. I did just as you asked. No need to feel any sort of anger."

The swarm visibly calmed down, rearing itself back before Nezu's desk. " **Oh?"** The voice came out incredulous. " **You didn't, did you?"** The swarm crossed its arms. " **Really?"**

Nezu took a moment, taking a nibble from the biscuit in his hand. "Mhm. I went over this with Midoriya before, and I'm sure that you were listening in at the time as well, but i may as well reiterate." Nezu cleared his throat. "Micro expressions."

"For example: Your initial hesitation in striking up a conversation, coupled with the subtle inflection of your tone through the few words you've spoken as so far infers some guilt due to some recent actions of yours. Taking into consideration the fact that you mentioned an 'us' yesterday when you were cutting my camera feeds, and it's likely that you weren't referring to something you did with Midoriya and yourself."

Nezu took another bite from his food. "You may not have noticed, but your posture — or the posture of your bugs, at least — is a bit shaky; as with the bugs in your vicinity, the way they move and react to your emotions is quite obvious, and indicative of what you're thinking. You feel some guilt over something that you knew had to be done."

Nezu smirked. "And, if I put my deductive reasoning to the test, you know, as do I, that Midoriya doesn't have much in the way of support. He closes himself off, doesn't share any of his troubles with anyone aside from you, and that's only because you have an insider's insight, and he's stuck with you in his head."

Nezu took note of the slight twitch that the bugs gave off, as well as the sigh that came after and the slight shaking of its head. " **God, you're just like Lisa."**

"Oh?" Nezu raised an eyebrow. "Lisa?"

The swarm huffed. " **Someone I knew from… before."**

"Hmm." Nezu took another sip of his tea. "Affectionate that's for sure. But likely not a lover — more likely a good friend."

Nezu jerked his head up towards the swarm clone. "How'd you two meet?"

She scowled. " **What does this—"**

Nezu smirked. "A testy subject then. Likely a really personal friend, one you met during a time of strife and helped you get through something… Perhaps one of your first friends in a while? Or at least one that you bonded with over some heavy things."

" **If… if you can get so much from just the few words I've said, you can probably tell how I might feel about this subject."**

"Of course!"

" **Then why are you so calm? I could swarm the room and kill you right now because you're trying to reach for my past. Heck, that could be my whole reason for being here."**

"You could," Nezu nodded, "but you won't. I have given you no reason to, after all. And I've got the impression that you aren't as impulsive as you think you are."

" **Oh?"** The swarm's head leaned forward. " **You don't think I'm impulsive, you say?"**

Nezu blinked. "Perhaps I'm wrong. I suppose if I do take into account everything you've roped Midoriya into…" Nezu shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well. Besides the point. As for you being here for my death, even if you were planning as such, I don't have worries for that."

Nezu went to refill his teacup. "I have several countermeasures set up for any attempts on my life. You can never be too careful, you know? And besides," he opened his arms out to gesture to the room, "you're in my domain, a place where I feel safe. I'd like to see you try."

The swarm tilted its head.

"Oh!" Nezu chuckled. "That's right! I never got your name!"

" **It's QA."**

"Oh," Nezu swiped his hand in the air, "pish-posh. None of that! I already know of that alias that you've given to Midoriya! I meant your real name, miss."

" **That name doesn't apply to me anymore."**

"Oh?"

QA didn't respond.

"Hmm… I see." Nezu nodded, taking another sip of his tea. "If you say so, Miss QA. I'll adhere to your wishes if that is what you want."

" **I—"**

"Can I ask a question of you, QA? You're quite experienced with the nuances of hero work, that's for sure. And I'm almost certain that some of your skills have bled over into Midoriya. You wouldn't have happened to attend some sort of hero school, did you?"

QA let out a full blown laugh, her coalescence of bugs bobbing up and down in the air and buzzing around with little control. "As if!"

She eventually winded down, sighing. "Only if. No, Nezu. Powers weren't as common in my world. My school was torture hellpit of despair. Much like how Izuku's was."

Nezu furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh? What do you mean?"

Another head tilt. " **You mean you haven't looked into it?"**

"You mean…" Nezu drummed his fingers in though. "Midoriya's school? Why? Do I have reason to?"

The swarm twitched. " **You've seen the way Izuku acts, haven't you?"**

Nezu paused, and promptly nodded. "Well, he likes taking things into his own hands… He doesn't trust adults or authority figures to do what he deems his job. Heh! He barely trusts me!"

Nezu hummed. "Nevermind the fact that he has some sort of martyr complex, taking responsibility that he shouldn't need to be taking upon himself in the first place, especially considering his age. On the other hand , almost paradoxically, he's skittish, shy, but bold and assertive at times."

He sent a look towards QA. "I'm assuming that's your doing?"

" **Mhm. But think."** She pointed at him. " **What do you know about him, from before you knew him?"**

Nezu scratched his head, stretching his mind back to his initial reading of Izuku's profile all the way back during the Entrance Exam.

"Well… Now that you mention it, I recall that there were records of him starting fights in middle school. But as per my observations so far, he's actually quite the diligent worker — near the top of his class, even. He's not someone who would start fights, let alone be goaded into one or willingly participate in one unless someone's life was in danger. The only fight that he's partaken in on school grounds so far was the one Bakugou incited…"

Nezu's ears twitched.

"His quirk — you, that is — didn't come along until later in his life. That means that he would have been quirkless for quite some… time…"

He clasped his hands together on his desk, and rested his head on top of them. "Quirkless individuals more often than not resort to suicide… Many people often hate them as well. The same would have likely been true for Midoriya. Children can be quite malevolent creatures when they put their mind to something."

Nezu's tail began to swish in the air. "But that would have changed when he got his quirk… or not, considering how late he got it. The damage would have already been done to his psyche and his reputation. Nevermind the fact that Izuku controls bugs — which unnerve quite an amount with people, and then again he was still a child at the time..."

" **Mhm."** QA nodded. " **He's listening to his classmates watch that Uwabami interview at the dorms right at this very moment, even."**

"And he doesn't care… No." Nezu growled. "He's used to it."

Nezu bared his teeth, the full picture finally coming to fruition in his mind. "It seems as if I've let my interest in Midoriya cloud my judgement." He twitched his head, volatility jerking to the side. "The mysteries of his quirk and the prospects of his intelligence…" He shook his head, hands clenching. "Despite my own intelligence... I didn't think it was a problem." His eyes took on a manic glow. "But now—"

And suddenly, his emotions ceased. Nezu straightened himself out, clearing his throat. And then, he smiled; a bright, pristine smile that reached straight into QA's core, almost making her shiver in fear.

Nezu began to clear out some papers on his desk. "It seems that I've got some work to do, Miss QA." He stood up, walking around his desk and moving himself into a deep bow.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Miss. And my apologies as well." He stood straight back up and nodded. "You never got to share what you were here for in the first place. You know, warding me off from getting on Midoriya's case and such."

He turned his back and made his way back towards his desk. He pulled out another crumpet, took a nibble, and took another sip of his tea.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Miss. I've got Midoriya's best interests in mind. I'm not going to sell him out or anything. I mean, you've heard me before! I honestly think that he can be a nice apprentice! A wondrous successor to my knowledge and experience, every little secret in my closet!"

Nezu sighed, leaning back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. "But! Just please, do try to stir Midoriya away from anything too reckless, if you will? Just because I'm being lenient with him doesn't mean that I want him risking himself out there. The world is a big, wide, and dangerous world, and I can attest to that."

QA remained frozen in place, levitating and maintaining her bugs in their place in the air. She tilted her head, arms fidgeting at their sides before crossing them behind her back.

" **No promises, Nezu."**

The swarm began to back away, deforming and throwing itself back up towards the vent. But just before the bugs went fully through, QA hesitated, floating such before the hollowed exit, looking back at the principal who was merely sitting, pondering at his desk.

" **But… thank you, I suppose."**

The swarm zoomed up the vent, disappearing into the darkness, no doubt to fully enact her plan in full.

Nezu, finally alone in his office, let out a sigh, swiveled his chair around and peered out through the window, looking past the trees and the birds, the city skyline and out to the horizon.

"And thank you, Miss. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! A nice little confrontation - the exact one mentioned near the end of chapter 77, in fact. Well, that's all for now! Till next time!


End file.
